Clouded Vision
by Argallel
Summary: Myka's been taken from the Warehouse and just disappeared without a trace. Wait, this is the Warehouse we're taking about. There's always a trace!
1. Chapter 1

_Knock, knock, knock._

Myka Bering looked up, blowing a curly lock of hair away from her face. "Arite," she asked, "is that the door?"

"Hmm, what?" Artie didn't even look up from the map he was reading. "I'm busy working out a ping. You're an agent. Deal with it."

"Okay," Myka said hesitantly, getting up from her warm spot on the Warehouse office's couch. Placing _War and Peace _on a nearby table, she quickly typed in the code to the Umbilicus. "Be right back."

"Mhm."

Myka cautiously made her way to the door at the end of the white hallway. The only visitors the Warehouse ever had were either the regents or Mrs. Fredrick. But that entire category was able to let themselves into the warehouse.

"Hello?" Myka called softly, knowing she was speaking just for comfort, and not for actual protection. She doubted anyone would be able to hear her through the door, especially when she all but whispered her hello.

_Calm down, Myka, _she tried to soothe herself. _It's probably just Leena with an armful of things, or maybe the post._

Myka hadn't ever seen a postal worker come to the Warehouse, but she knew anything was possible. Working at the Warehouse had taught her that.

With a confident intake of air, Myka flung the door open.

But there was nobody there.

_See? _she told herself. _It was probably just the artifacts. You know how they act up sometimes. _She started to close the door, but for some reason, it wouldn't close. It was stuck.

Myka peered out of the door, craning her neck to see anything that might be causing the door to stay open.

"Hello?" she called again, although much louder this time. She paused, tapping her foot, arms crossed, and waited for a reply. When none came, she tried again. "Pete, if that's you, I'll tell Arite _you _took his cookie stash!"

Again, no reply.

Myka chewed on her bottom lip, worried. She couldn't just leave the door wide open. Anyone could get in, or worse, anything could get out.

"Artie!" she yelled behind her, hoping to get the seniors agent's help. "Artie, are you listening?" Of course, he didn't reply. He was probably too buried in his work.

_Great, _Myka thought bitterly. _Now what?_

But she didn't have time to contemplate her predicament before there was a blue flash, and Myka fell to the ground, buzzing with electricity.

"I stole this from your partner. Hope you don't mind."


	2. Chapter 2

"Claudia! Claudia!" Artie grumpily searched for his young, redhead apprentice. It had been a few hours since he'd seen her, but in a Warehouse that extended for miles, it was easy to take that long. It was easy to get lost for that long, too.

He quickly pulled out his Farnsworth to try once again to make contact with the missing girl.

The Farnsworth was almost like a cellphone, but with video chat. It was the first ever video contact device, and by far the most secure. Myka and her partner, Pete, shared one, Leena had one, and Artie had recently gifted one to Claudia.

He hadn't gifted it to her in kindness though. It was more so he could reach her whenever and wherever he wanted.

Maybe with just a sprinkle of kindness.

"Bah!" Artie grumbled when yet again Claudia didn't pick up her Farnsworth. "Where is that girl? Gallivanting off like a...hmm, I could always try Pete…yes, that would be wise…"

He picked up his Farnsworth again and this time tried Pete. After a few rings, Pete answered, and his slightly distorted, unshaven face filled the screen.

"Artie!" he whined. "This is my day off!" He lowered his voice slightly. "And I'm kind of busy!" He leaned back so Artie could see where he was.

Pete just so happened to be in bed…and with somebody. His girlfriend, Kelly, gave Artie an awkward smile and wave.

Artie rubbed his face. "Okay, okay!" He paced around his office. "I see, but, have you heard from Myka or Claudia? Women are always running off."

"Myka?" Pete shook his head slowly. "Not since this morning. She said she was going into the Warehouse today to do some work." He gave Artie a pointed look. "Did you lose her?"

"Lose her?" Artie sniffled indignantly. "I did not- she's not even my...do you know where she is or not?"

"I don't," Pete said glaring at Artie. "If she's hurt, I will personally trash your cookie stash." He paused, judging Artie's reaction. "When you find her, or if there's a problem, call me. But only if it's super important!" He pouted slightly at Artie. "Kelly's really hot."

Artie's maniac eyebrows lifted slightly, revealing his shocked look. "Yeah, okay, fine. Just hurry it up, would you?"

"Kirk out," Pete said firmly before swinging closed his Farnsworth.

Artie sighed. Where were his women? Of course, not his women in that sense, but he did like to think he owned them. He was their boss after all, and they did have to listen to him. Not that they ever did, but it was a nice thought anyways.

"Where are they?" Artie mumbled to himself. His mind raced with the possibilities. They could be caught in the Warehouse, maybe with a deadly artifact.

Wait.

Hadn't Myka said something to him a while ago about being right back? Yes, yes she had. But where was she going? Granted, he should have listened when she was speaking, but he was too busy trying to work out a ping.

"Ha!" Artie spun in a circle until he stopped in front of the Umbilicus door. "Someone knocked!" He strode towards the door, typed in the passcode, then paused. "Someone knocked?"

Ignoring the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, Artie confidently, but quickly, walked through the white hallway. As he rounded the corner, the bad feeling he had magnified, until all he felt was pure panic.

The door to the outside was wide open.

Blood slowly dripped off the door handle, making a small puddle on the ground.

Mrs. Frederick was going to kill him.

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"Hey, Myka, Myka!"

Myka opened her eyes, her senses kick starting. What had happened? Last she remembered, she had gone to answer the door at the Warehouse.

"Myka! Over here!"

Myka looked to her left, trying to spot the holder of the familiar voice. But it was dark wherever she was, too dark to see much.

"Myka, it's Claudia. I'm over here...it's dark. Screw that, I'm going to try to scoot my butt over there. I would bet it's not only me that's tied up, but you as well."

Myka gingerly tried to lift her arms, but found them tied to the chair she was on just as Claudia had predicted. "Claudia?"she said, her voice rough with disuse. "Where are we? What happened? Oh no, the door! I left the door to the Warehouse open! Anyone could have gotten in by now! Artie's going to kill me!"

"Woah there, panicky. You're getting ahead of yourself." There was a pause as Myka could hear Claudia trying to scoot her chair closer. "I'm stuck! I'm friggin' stuck!"

Myka went to put a hand to her head, forgetting she was tied up. "Claudia, calm down." She closed her eyes, a headache already beginning to cloud her thinking. "How did you get here?"

Somewhere in the distance, Claudia laughed roughly. "I was a few miles south of the Warehouse, trying to locate some artifact Artie swore he left out there. I heard someone behind me, near where I had dumped my bag, and turned around just in time to see the tesla shoot me."

"I was teslaed too!" Myka licked her lips, trying to think of what had happened to her, trying to recall any detail that might be useful to their predicament. "Someone knocked on the Warehouse door, and Artie had me answer it. But when I opened the door, no one was there, and the door wouldn't close again. Then I was teslaed."

Claudia sighed. "Let me guess, some maniac with an artifact."

"That would be my guess." Pause. "Do you know anything about our whereabouts?"

Claudia thought for a moment. "Well, I don't feel fuzzy, meaning whoever did this didn't sedate us. But I woke up here, so it can't be too far away from the Warehouse."

"You're right!" Myka paused, taking inventory of her body. "Although I haven't been sedated before, I could guess it would feel different than being teslaed. And I only feel teslaed."

"Does feel different. 'Sleeping' pills were sometimes handed out in the looney bin." Claudia sighed. "But that's besides the point. I only saw a flash of the person who did this, but I think they had brown hair."

"And you, Ms. Donovan, would be correct."

Myka sat up straighter, or at least as straight as someone who's tied up can. "This is a federal crime," she called out to the darkness. "You do know you're assaulting a member of the Secret Service, correct?"

"Why else would I want you? You're the star, Myka. You always have been."

Claudia's eyebrows dipped. "Hey, lady! How about some lights? I want to at least see my captor!" She paused, waiting for a reply. "Just as a random, passing question, have you come into contact with any strange objects recently?"

"Silence! You are not permitted to speak in the presence of the glorious Myka. If you do, there will be punishment."


	3. Chapter 3

Artie awkwardly paced his office, waiting for Pete to arrive at the Warehouse. As soon as Artie had called Pete, he'd used or at least _tried _to use the Durational Spectrometer. Of course, in his rare state of panic, he'd forgotten it didn't work outside the Warehouse.

So he had nothing to go on.

"Artie!"

Artie looked up, relieved that Pete was finally there. "Pete, good, you're here."

"Yes, I'm here!" He paused, eyebrows kitted together. "Now will you tell me why you called me here so urgently? Kelly's pretty mad at me."

Artie sighed and turned to face Pete. "You're not very observant, are you?"

"What?"

"For starters, Myka and Claudia still are not here! But more importantly, how did you miss the blood on the Warehouse door handle?"

Pete paled slightly. "Artie, where's Myka?" When Artie just looked at him, Pete raised his voice. "You were supposed to look after her!"

"I'm not her parent!"

"She's your-okay, never mind." Pete took a deep breath trying to calm himself. "Do you have any idea of where she went?"

"I don't think she went anywhere on her own, Pete." He paused to shuffle some papers on his desk. "We work in a government facility that holds artifacts. These artifacts imbue power on the holder. Now-"

"-Artie! Get to the point!"

Artie stopped, eyebrows raising. "What? Oh, yes, the point. I would guess that someone has an artifact and has taken Myka." He pulled a file out of the stack of papers on his desk. "But I don't think it has anything to do with the ping I was working out."

"Ping?" Pete leant over towards Artie, trying to see what was in the pile. "Ping means artifact, and artifact means bad."

Artie huffed. "I need to call Mrs. Frederick." Pause. "Wait, did I tell Leena? I have to tell Leena! She needs to know about this!" He scuttled off in search of his phone, or maybe in search of privacy. With Artie and his flustered composition, it was hard to tell.

Pete sat down heavily in a nearby chair, his happiness from the day off already deflated fully. He knew he should have stayed near Myka. He told her that whatever bad thing happened to her, it would happen to him, because he was always so close to her.

But this time, he'd failed.

Myka was gone, and if the blood was any indication, hurt, too. Frankly, Pete couldn't think of a much more horrible situation.

Well, maybe the whole world dying, because then Claudia would be gone too.

Wait.

Claudia!

"Artie!" Pete called, wondering where the daft old man had gone. "Artie! What about Claudia? You said she was missing too!" There was no response, so Pete tried again. "Artie? Where. Is. Claudia?"

"What?" Artie yelled from wherever he was, is voice echoing around the office.

"You know, the little red haired nymph you have as an apprentice? One can generally find her hiding in your office at the computer, or-"

Artie appeared from a doorway that Pete hadn't noticed before. "Yes, yes, I know who Claudia is. I meant, what do you mean?!"

"You said Claudia was missing too."

"Well, not missing so much as...yeah, missing." Artie rubbed his face. "I sent her out to find an artifact I left a few miles south of here, but she never returned and won't answer her phone or Farnsworth."

Pete sighed. "I saw no Claude when I drove past your little excavation site on my way up here after your frantic call."

"What are you? Three?" Artie scowled at Pete. "It's not an excavation site. It's a mining site where...well...yeah, it's an excavation site."

Pete pumped his fist in the air, momentarily forgetting the predicament they were in. "Hey hey hey! Look who knows what they're talking about!"

He turned to look behind himself, grinning like an idiot, expecting Myka to give him a smile back. But his face quickly fell as he remembered she wasn't there. "What are we going to do, Artie? How are we supposed to find two agents if they've just disappeared without a trace?"

"Ah, no, not true." Artie clenched and unclenched is fists, as if pumping the blood to his brain. As if maybe a simple action like that would help them. "Everything leaves a trace. We just have to find it."


	4. Chapter 4

Myka wasn't sure what she felt. Of course, she was shocked when her captor had told Claudia to be quiet. But she didn't feel dread, or happiness, or much of anything. Mostly, she felt as if this was just another snag and bag, except the artifact had found her first.

"Myka, my precious, would you like a light turned on?"

Myka swallowed, slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Yes, Yes I would," she said, almost commanded. "And I want to know who you are."

A light flickered on above Myka, humming loudly. It was only a dim light, but it lit up the room enough that she could see around her.

She seemed to be in some sort of abandoned warehouse, although nowhere near as big as Warehouse 13. She couldn't see Claudia, but there was another person, whom Myka assumed was also tied up. But she could only sort of see this other person through a shelf.

"Myka! Behind you!"

Myka craned her neck around to see Claudia, painfully tied to a wooden chair. "Claude! Are you alright?"

"I said be quiet, and you didn't listen. You'll have to be punished." From out of the shadows, a woman emerged. She had curly brown hair that fell just past her shoulders, and her soft face was turned up in almost a snarl.

"Sorry, what do you think you're going to do?" Myka asked, struggling against her bonds. "Why are we tied up? And who is that over there?"

The women smiled, but an almost scary smile, like she was possessed. Possessed by an artifact. "I must punish this insolent child for speaking without permission in the presence of you, my royalty. As for you being tied up, I couldn't risk anyone hurting you while you were unconscious."

"Uh-huh." Myka narrowed her eyes. "First of all, that insolent child is my friend, and you are not allowed to lay even a finger on her, understand?" When the woman nodded, frightened, Myka continued. "Two more questions; who are you and what do you want with me?"

"My name is Lindy," the woman answered. "And you are the precious light of the world. But I couldn't very well take photos of you if you weren't here, could I?"

"Myka?" Claudia squirmed slightly, the ropes used to restrain her bring back some bad memories. "Artifact, right? If this isn't artifacty, then I should eat more hamburgers."

"What?"

"…never mind."

Myka blinked slowly, trying to get the jist of what was happening. A woman had kidnapped her from the Warehouse, but seemed to have no intent on hurting her. Actually, she idolized Myka and did what she asked.

"Lindy?"

"Yes, your highness?"

"Please untie me and my friend, Claudia. Also, you never answered me. Who is that over there?"

Lindy's face hardened. "That is just another insolent child, like Claudia, who was trying to stop me."

"Hey!" Claudia protested. "I did nothing! It was you who stole me!"

"That's true," Myka agreed. "What did Claudia do? She was just doing some research for our company…um, the IRS…"

Lindy moved over to Myka and bent down beside her, her hair flowing onto Myka's legs. "Claudia would have seen something, and I figured I could use another mind to perspective you."

"Sorry, what?" Myka's eyes grew a little bigger as she tried to understand Lindy. "Perspective me? Wait, actually, never mind that, about that person over there, are they okay?"

"Katherine?" Lindy frowned. "She tried to stop me. Said something about the camera possessing me, turning me dark. When I came to find you, I confided in her, and she tried to physically stop me. Of course, I just had to…_dispose _of her."

"Dispose?" Claudia squeaked. Clearing her throat, she continued in a lower register. "Come on, we just want to help you! If you untie me, I bet I could help you."

"Help me?" Lindy laughed harshly. "The only thing I need is Myka. Too me, you are as worthless as the lint in my pocket. As common as a grain of sand. As unintelligent-"

"Hey!" Myka's face contorted slightly as she tried to stop Lindy. "That's my friend you're talking about!" Suddenly, she recalled how Lindy kept calling her, "my highness."

_Maybe if I try commanding her, it might work._

"Lindy!" Myka barked. "I command you to untie us!"

"Command me? You can't make me do anything. I'm not your maid, or servant. I'm just interested in you and want the best for you. But mostly, I need to get it out to the world what you do. I want to share every detail of your private life with the whole human race. And if you die in the process, it'll make me an even bigger story."


	5. Chapter 5

Pete drummed his fingers on his steering wheel, anxious to get back to the excavation site where Claudia was last. He really hoped that maybe she was still there, although Artie couldn't reach her, and Pete hadn't seen her when he passed earlier. But this was South Dakota, right by the Warehouse. Stranger things had happened.

As he neared the torn up ground, Pete stopped his car and hopped out, slamming the door shut.

"Claudia! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Pete called, as he peered around the dusty site. He couldn't see Claudia, but she could very well be in her own world. Walking around a mound of dirt, Pete's breathed hitched in his chest.

On the ground lay Claudia's Farnsworth.

"And we are so screwed!" Pete whispered to himself. Picking it up, he pocketed it before walking around some more. "Claude!"

But there was no reply, only the wind as it tore through the hills and whistled past Pete's ears. He turned the collar of his jacket up, trying to evade the harsh winds. Of course, he couldn't really, but it was better than nothing.

"Clau-"

Pete stopped midsentence as he stared down at his feet. Or rather what was _at _his feet.

There, on the ground, lay Claudia's shoulder bag, the one she never left home without. It was open, and its content's splayed across the ground, obviously ransacked.

But it was what was by the bag that made Pete's heart sink and his blood pound with anger and fright. It was almost his worst nightmare. Scratch that, it _was _his worst nightmare.

There were large scrapes in the ground, as if something heavy had been dragged along. At the end of the scrapes, there were tire tracks.

Pete was already putting together what had happened. He was already visualizing the way Claudia had been taken down, then dragged to the car. She had obviously been kidnapped, and Pete was furious.

"It's one thing to go after my partner," he hissed to nobody in particular, "But no one, _no one, _goes after Claudia. You are dead meat, you jerk whoever did this. I won't let you get away with it."

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"Let me go! You're in way over your head, lady! Pete and Artie are going to kick your butt!"

Claudia kicked angrily at the wall. When Lindy had decided she needed some time alone with Myka, she had teslaed Claudia again. When Claudia woke up, she was standing, but chained to a wall with handcuffs that were hooked way above her head.

"It won't work," came a glum voice from somewhere in the dark. "I tried to stop her way before she went all crazy and stuff. But she didn't listen then, so I doubt she'll listen now."

Claudia paused her kicking for a moment, trying to locate the owner of the voice. "Wait a minute," she said finally. "It's Katherine, right? Lindy said something about you before she teslaed me again."

"Yeah, that's right. Katherine with a k."

Claudia smiled slightly as she realized the girl she was talking to was probably a lot younger than her. "So, Katherine with a k, how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen," came the bitter reply. Katherine laughed harshly. "I was planning to get my driver's license when I turn sixteen in a few weeks. But then Lindy bought that camera, and then she went crazy. I tried to tell her she was obsessed, but-" Katherine's voice squeaked, but she continued. "I guess fifteen is a good age to die."

"Hey, hey! Don't say that!" Claudia protested, swinging her legs around to try to escape her bonds. "You won't die. I'm an agent, and that lady out there is a secret service agent. We won't let anything happen to you."

Katherine sighed. "So what does the secret service want with Lindy? Or did she just kidnap you?"

"Well, she kidnapped us," Claudia answered slowly, not sure how much to spill.

"Oh."

"Oh?"

Katherine sighed again. "See, I figured, if you were undercover, or maybe investigating Lindy, it would suck for her. But then, someone would know where you two are and would eventually come for you, right?"

Claudia inhaled slowly. "Ah, but you see, people will find us. We're kind of hard to lose." She grinned, thinking about the Warehouse. "Someone will come for us, you'll see, young padwan."

There was a pause before Katherine spoke again. "Alright, if you say so." She groaned as Claudia heard something clatter to the floor. "And I am now officially blind."

"What?"

"My glasses fell of my nose."

"Oh." Claudia couldn't even see anything, as it was pitch dark in the small room where she and Katherine were being held. "Can you reach them?"

Katherine laughed. "Well, it's pitch black in here, and I just lost a huge amount of my vision. Plus, I'm still tied to my chair."

"Again, oh." Claudia rattled the chains that held her. "I'm chained to a shelf, and it's rubbing my wrists raw…if that makes it any better."

"And why would that make it better?"

"I don't know, maybe you take comfort in the fact that I'm in pain but you aren't."

"I should be glad that the agent is the one who is in pain and stronger bonds?"

"…yeah, okay, I see your point."


	6. Chapter 6

"Lindy, have you bought anything new lately?"

"Silence! I only want to capture your true essence through photographs, and that doesn't require you to speak…so shut it."

Myka sighed. "Alright, so you want to capture my essence, or as you said before, _perspective _me." She bit the inside of her lip, trying to figure this puzzle out. "A camera," she whispered to herself. "Lindy! Lindy, did you come into possession of an old camera recently?"

"Yes," Lindy said sullenly. "But it's mine, and you can't have it."

"I see…so what kind of camera is it?"

Lindy bounded over to Myka, her eyes shining like a child's. "Look at it!" She held up an old style camera for Myka to see. "It's a Nikon F2!"

It was black and plastic looking, with a silver top and buttons. It was old looking, and that's exactly what Myka would say constitutes an artifact. She guessed it was from about the 70's by the lens type. She had always been a fan of these kinds of cameras, but had never seen one up close.

"That's really great, Lindy," Myka encouraged. "When did you get it?"

"I got it-" Lindy paused, her once happy face turning stormy, anger practically dripping off her features. "Why should I tell you? Just because you're the highness, doesn't mean you need to know about me! In fact, you shouldn't even know I'm there!"

Something in Myka's mind clicked. Lindy wanted to secretly photograph Myka and share these photos with the world. She wanted to be paparazzi.

"Hey, where did you take Claudia?" Myka asked, trying to distract Lindy, maybe get some more answers out of her.

"Nowhere," Lindy answered, obviously back to her short, stubborn answers.

"Alright," Myka agreed plainly. "I just thought it would be nice for her to see you take the first shot of The Great Myka." She paused. "But of course, if your works aren't that good…"

Lindy's jaw dropped. "How dare you!" She stormed over to Myka and leant in close, her hot breath tickling Myka's cheeks. "I am brilliant, and _everyone _loves to see what secrets I've exposed this week!"

"Oh, really?" Myka challenged. "Then how come I've never heard of you? Huh?"

Lindy turned bright red. "Fine, you spoiled brat!" She stormed off in a tizzy. "I'll go get Claudia, and she can watch me take my first pictures of you!"

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Claudia sighed and pulled at her overhead chains again. "This sucks," she complained to Katherine. "It's like the time Artie left me chained to the stove, except no one knows where we are!" She paused, remembering what she had said to Katherine earlier. "…yet."

"It's alright," Katherine sighed. "There's no need to humor me."

"Humor you?" Claudia smiled. "Girl, you haven't seen me try to humor you yet." She paused, a slightly awkward silence filling the suffocating room. "So…have a crush on anyone?"

There was a slight din in the conversation as Katherine grasped for what to say. "What does that have to do with anything?" she spluttered finally. "It's not like you'll ever see him!"

"Ha! So you do!" Claudia smiled, even though she knew Katherine couldn't see it. "What's his name?"

"This is getting awkward!" Katherine complained. "Anyways, if you must know, he's fictional, so there!"

Claudia snickered. "Well, all the great men are taken, right? That's what we geeks say, anyways."

Katherine laughed slightly, more like an involuntary puff of air. "Yeah, something like that." She pursed her lips. "And you?"

"Me?" Claudia looked up towards the ceiling. "Oh, you know, maybe a few…not all at once, and never permanent, but still." She paused. "Guys around me seem to disappear. Or they live in classified towns."

"What?"

_Artie's going to kill me! _"…never mind."

Katherine sighed, obviously upset. "I can't believe this happened. I was actually studying, but Lindy called and said it was urgent. So I quickly biked over. She was all weepy and such, and we sat down for a cup of tea."

Claudia could guess what happened. "And the tea was drugged?"

"Exactly," Katherine continued. "I started to feel sick, so I told Lindy I had to go. Except then I passed out."

"And you woke up here."

"Tied to a chair." Katherine sighed. "Oh well, such is life. Anyways-"

"Claudia…"

Claudia bolted upright, as she had sagged against the wall slightly. "Hey, Lindy! Stop being a creep and show your face!" Her eyes narrowed. "And I hope you didn't touch even a hair on my friend's head, or I will hurt you."

"Hurt me?" Lindy laughed. "Dear me, you are a sweet one, aren't you?"

"Lindy!" Katherine cried. "You have to stop this! My mother isn't going to appreciate you taking me like this! Think of all the jail time you'll have when they find us!"

Lindy ignored Katherine and just pulled out the tesla. "Now Claudia, dear, Myka and I want to see you in the main part of the Warehouse. Unfortunately, I can't trust you to not try to escape, but I don't want to have to wait for you to wake up after the tesla again."

"Okay," Claudia said, though more of a question than a statement.

"So, this is what I'm going to do," Lindy said with an obviously deranged tint to her voice. She quickly turned the tesla dial up to ten. "Level ten seems lethal, right?"

"Lindy, seriously, chill!" Claudia rattled her chains, bothered by her uselessness.

Lindy cracked an evil grin and grabbed the back of the chair Katherine was tied to, tipping it onto its back legs.

"Hey!" Katherine yelped in surprise.

But she fell silent as she felt the tip of the tesla placed onto the back of her neck.

"Alright, Claudia," Lindy said pleasantly. "Katherine's going to come with us, and if you try to escape, she dies."


	7. Chapter 7

Pete hopped out of his car and slammed the door shut, quickly racing around to the other side to retrieve Claudia's stuff. He had figured since he saw the mine site as no help, he should get back to Artie and bring Claudia's stuff back too.

Although, Artie could probably tell Pete how important the mining site was.

Running through the umbilicus, Pete flung the door open to the Warehouse. "Artie! Artimus!" He carefully set Claudia's bag down on a nearby chair.

"Pete! What did you find?" Artie bumbled out from the records room and gave Pete a quick onceover. "Anything useful?"

"Tire tracks," Pete said confidently. "Someone dragged something heavy to some sort of vehicle, then drove away." He paused. "I'm really worried about Claudia. Do you think-"

"Tire tracks?" Artie hissed. "So they must have teslaed her then dragged her away!"

Pete pursed his lips. He went to say something, then stopped, then started again. "Okay, how did you get that from me saying something heavy was dragged to a vehicle?"

"Claudia never goes anywhere without her bag, which you dropped in the corner." Artie motioned towards the discarded bag. "And you obviously saw no blood, indicating she wasn't hurt. She wouldn't have gone somewhere willingly that fast, therefore she was teslaed and taken away."

Pete nodded. "Ah, I see, Sherlock Holmes." When Artie glared at him, Pete tried again. "Okay, understood, but how do we get them back?"

"I-I don't know," Artie stammered. "That is, of course, yet. We will find them."

Pete put his hands on his hips and looked around, worried. "How, Artie? How? They just disappeared. Myka was outside when she was taken, and so was Claudia." He paused. "We could check traffic cams, but there aren't any for miles."

Artie nodded. "I'll check them, just in case." He hurried over to the computer and sat down heavily, typing furiously on the keyboard. "Okay, so no one entered or left Univille in the past two hours, but there was a black Sudan that came the other way about an hour and a half ago."

"Ha!" Pete raced over to the computer. "Can you see the license plate?"

Artie paused the security feed and slowly went back a few frames until he gained the clearest shot of the car plate possible. Zooming the picture in, Artie flipped up his glasses and leaned in towards the computer, staring intently.

"Anything?" Pete asked, also leaning in.

"No, no, I can't-" Artie growled slightly as he tried to lean in closer. "Aha!"

Pete jumped back as Artie sprung up suddenly. "What, what?"

"I can't see the number, but I can see where it's from." His eyebrows dipped. "I think it says Ontario."

"Ontario?" Pete raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so it's one of those crazy Canadians, eh?" He emphasized the last word, smirking slightly as he did.

Artie gave him a pointed look. "Artifacts don't judge." He plopped back down at the computer and began to type frantically, only stopping to glare at Pete. "Shoo. Make yourself useful or something. I think I'll search the border patrol security feeds and try to find our black Sudan from Ontario."

Pete nodded awkwardly. "Uh, okay, I'll just head down to the motorbike isle and look around."

"Just don't touch anything!"

"Sure, Artie."

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"You really are crazy, Lindy! I don't think it would matter whether or not you're affected by an artifact!" Claudia twitched as Lindy tied her up with one hand, using the other to keep the tesla trained on Katherine.

"Claudia," Myka said warningly. "That won't help."

"I can try," Claudia grumbled.

A shaky breath tumbled out of Katherine as Lindy finished tying Claudia, putting the gun down. "Okay, Lindy, seriously, this has gone way too far." She said quickly. "I'll admit it, I kind of humored you at first. I thought there was no way some camera you just bought would make you go crazy." She paused. "I think it might be that, though."

Myka strained her neck to see Katherine, who was behind her. "Why do you think it's the camera?" she asked softly.

"I read this website that said something about ordinary objects having extraordinary powers." Katherine bit her lower lip. "I thought it was a joke, and I only thought of it again when Lindy went really crazy, kidnapping me and all that."

"And now it seems plausible," Myka finished.

Katherine nodded unhappily. "Yeah, I guess so." She pulled at her bonds. "That would be my conclusion, seeing my nice friend, Lindy, seems to have gone crazy and tied me up!" She yelled the last part of the sentence, her voice breaking slightly.

Claudia looked at the ground, then up at Katherine. "Hey, it's not that bad." She smiled at Katherine. "Think of it as an Indiana Jones adventure, or James Bond, or whatever."

"Would you shut up?" Lindy barked. "I'm sick of all this yapping. Myka said she wanted you here, so now I'll do what I have been waiting for, for a very long time." She scooted up to Myka, then bent down and placed one hand on Myka's head, the other on the camera.

"Lindy! Wait!" Katherine yelled.

But Lindy didn't hear. Or maybe she ignored Katherine. Either way, she clicked the camera button, and instantly, a dull hum filled the room.

Myka screamed.


	8. Chapter 8

Pete sat on his comfy couch, a pillow hugged tightly to his chest. He always came down to his man cave whenever he needed to think, and right now, he definitely needed to think.

His partner was gone, and Artie had seen blood. Claudia was gone, and he had once again failed to protect her. He had sworn he would protect her.

Sighing, Pete hugged the pillow harder, and tried his hardest not to imagine all the ways his friends could be being tortured right now. Of course, when you try not to think of something, that's all you can think about.

Images of Myka, bleeding and unconscious, filled his mind, each possibility more gruesome than the last. He had promised her they would die together, and she wouldn't have to be worried.

But as his imagination went into overdrive, it wasn't the blood or the torture that made him cringe the most. It was the idea of Myka dying alone, even worse, possibly having to go through the pain of watching Claudia die then dying herself, or vice versa.

He saw Claudia, too, strapped to a table, her psychiatrist coming at her with electric prongs. Her tortured plea for help echoed in Pete's ears, and it was all he could do to keep from crying.

Pete rocked slightly as Claudia's screams bounced around his skull. For a moment, he wondered if he was hurting more than his women, and he wished so hard he was.

"I'm going to kill you," he muttered under his breath. "I don't care if I get bronzed, but if you hurt a single cell on Myka or Claudia's body, I'll make you wish you were never even born." Picking up a nearby pen, he flung it at the wall and watched as it cracked upon contact.

Pete's eyes narrowed. "That's the sound each bone in your body will make when I'm dealing with you."

"Pete! Pete!" Artie hurried into Pete's man cave, out of breath and red from running.

"Artimus!" Pete quickly hopped up from his couch and looked Artie in the eye. "I said I was in the motorbike isle! You didn't need to poke around!"

Artie frowned. "Pete, I know this warehouse. Did you think I had no clue about this place?"

Pete paused momentarily, then slowly nodded. "Okay, yeah, makes sense." He folded his arms across his chest. "So, find anything?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I did." Artie pulled a stack of papers out from his ever present coat and handed them to Pete. "I managed to find our car and get the license plate number. The car is owned by a woman named Lindy Green, who lives in a small town called Melbourne, southwest of London, Ontario. She was reported missing yesterday when she failed to pick up her kids from school."

"I see, I see." Pete rubbed his chin. "Okay, and how does that help us?"

Artie yanked back his papers and shuffled through them, obviously looking for a certain piece of paper. "Uh, there was also a girl reported missing in Melbourne yesterday, by the name of Katherine Argo. She's fifteen, and apparently a good friend of Lindy's."

Pete nodded. "So the person who probably stole Myka and Claudia already took a girl." He frowned. "And she wasn't the impulsive, fleetly type?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Artie finally pulled out the piece of paper he was looking for. "Aha!"

Pete took it and looked at the pictures of the two people that were on the page. One was of a woman, with curly brown hair and soft features. The other was of a teenage girl with red hair and glasses.

"Okay, okay?" Artie grabbed back the paper. "But I also found what artifact I think she has." He showed Pete a picture of an old camera, complete with a silver top and buttons. "She bought it off of EBay a few weeks ago."

"Whoa, hello, artifact!" Pete peered at the picture. "So we've dealt with Man Ray's camera, but I would guess a bet there's a whole camera isle in here somewhere. So whose camera is this?"

"This is Ron Gallea's camera, the one he had his big break on. It one of the first Nikon F2's ever made."

Pete nodded, pretending he knew what Artie was talking about. "Yeah, cool." He paused. "You know, because he was that one guy who took pictures…right…"

Artie ignored him and rambled on. "Gallea was considered to be the first paparazzi. He would become fixated on his users, and somehow managed to get shots of celebrities' private lives no one else could."

"Sounds like this Lindy character has fixated on either Myka or Claudia," Pete sighed.

Artie nodded. "If the user is touching someone while they click the shutter, it transports them into the other person's memories and allows the user to take snapshots, if you will, of the person's memories."

"Alright, alright." Pete narrowed his eyes. "What's the downside, Artie?"

Artie looked down slightly. "Well, you see, the user will do anything to get to the person they've fixated on, even kill…" He trailed off.

"And?"

"It can cause permanent brain damage to the one being probed."


	9. Chapter 9

Claudia sat in her chair numbly, long since having yelled at Lindy. After five minutes of hearing Myka's strangled cries, Claudia's voice had become hoarse, too hoarse to continue yelling at Lindy.

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches."

Claudia looked over at Katherine. "Excuse me?"

Katherine stopped singing and looked over at Claudia, wincing as Myka let loose a particularly pain-filled scream. "I was trying to drown out the noise?"

"Is that a question, or a statement?" Claudia asked. She paused. "But that does make sense."

"In the land of Starbuckia, there's a lovely barista," Katherine started singing again, louder and louder, trying to drown out Myka. "For now, we will call her Darsaut."

Claudia sighed sadly, but at least Katherine had put a small smile on her face. "Hey," she said. "You a fan of The Pixies?" She hummed a tune. "Where is My Mind?"

"Uh, no."

"Oh."

Claudia shifted in her chair, the ropes chafing her small wrists. At least it wasn't as bad as the chains she had on her before. "Hey, Katherine?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you believe in magic?"

Katherine paused. ""Sorry, do I what?

Claudia smiled. "Believe in magic." She laughed quietly as Katherine gave an unsure nod. "Alright. So I have this friend, Pete, and he can feel things. He gets what we call 'vibes.'" She bit her lip as Myka whimpered, sounding like she was too weak to scream anymore. "Okay, get me so far?"

"Sure?" Katherine tried to shrug, then growled in frustration when she realized she couldn't. "What am I getting?"

"What we need to do is think really hard about Pete. We need to try to tell him telepathically where we are."

Katherine frowned. "Okay, did Lindy try that camera on you first?"

"No!" Claudia huffed. "It'll work, trust me."

"Alright." Katherine closed her eyes, and began to think of the name, Pete. But then she stopped, cracked one eye open, and cleared her throat. "Um, Claudia?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we?"

Claudia sighed. "I don't really know, but that doesn't matter too much." Myka whimpered again, and she inhaled sharply. "Just think of him, okay? Just think of him and tell him we're in trouble. Tell him Myka's in danger." Her voice lowered in volume. "Tell him we need him."

Katherine swallowed thickly, hot tears pricking at her eyes as she thought about her family, hundreds kilometers away, probably very worried about her. "Can do," she said, equally as quiet.

"Good, because this might be our only shot."

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Pete paced around the office, wringing his hands. "Anything else, Artie?" he asked impatiently. He had come up from his man cave a few minutes ago, a vibe prickling the hairs on the back of his neck.

"Wait, just wait!" Artie huffed as he typed on his computer. "This does take time, you know!"

Pete nodded. "Yeah, I know, sorry." He cracked his knuckles, gaining a glare from Artie. "Okay, okay, so I may have a bad vibe right now, and I don't think it has anything to do with the fact I'm out of cream soda."

"Cream soda?"

"…never mind."

Artie sighed. "I need more clues! We can't just go gallivanting off and expect to find them!" He slid his glasses off his face and rubbed his eyes. "Border patrol is already on the lookout for a black Sedan from Ontario, and the local police are on it, it's just-"

"Just what?" Pete asked, stopping pacing. "We have magic stored up in here. We can save a whole country from anything!" His eyes darkened. "But yet we can't even find some of our own."

Artie clicked his tongue. "All artifacts have downsides, Pete. You know that."

"I know, I know!" Pete exploded. "But it's Myka, Artie! Myka and Claudia! You saw the blood! Whoever took them isn't friendly, and they're in danger! We need to help them!"

"Pete! This is not up for discussion!" Artie stood up sharply. "This is how McPhearson started! He just wanted to help in the beginning too! But then he became hooked on the artifacts, addicted to them!"

Pete sighed angrily. "That won't be me, Artie! This is Myka! I _have _to save her!"

"And it's Claudia, too!" Artie hissed back. "I want her to be okay, so badly! But you don't see me running down to the warehouse floor to find what could help me!"

"Why not?! Don't you care?"

"I care!" Artie yelled. "I care about Myka and Claudia! And I want them back here, safe and sound, more than anything! But it doesn't work like that, Pete! You can't just use artifacts whenever you please, just to suit your whims!"

"This isn't a whim!" Pete yelled back. "These are lives we are talking about! Lives we care about!"

Artie glared at Pete, and Pete held the gaze. Seconds ticked by, and neither looked away, both willing each other to back down.

Finally, Artie sat back down at the computer, turning away from Pete. "We are _not _using artifacts," he said firmly. "And that's final."

Pete inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself. Grabbing his coat, he stalked towards the door, unlocking it as he neared it. "You can sit and screw around on your computer all you like, but I'm going out to find them."

"Pete…" Artie said warningly. But Pete didn't hear. He was already out the door, down the umbilicus, only one goal in his mind.

Find Myka and Claudia, then save them.


	10. Chapter 10

Myka couldn't feel, at least, she didn't think she could. Although, she was aware of voices, maybe just sounds, but she assumed voices.

Even in her foggy state, her brilliant mind was still rationalizing everything.

It wasn't as if she had a concussion. No, she had had a few concussions before, but none left her feeling quite like this. She was always aware of the pain from the second she was conscious. This wasn't a concussion.

But Myka knew it was something. One didn't just feel nothing. Even when waking from a deep sleep, she was always aware of how warm she felt, or how one fuzzy sock had fallen off her foot. No, she wasn't waking up at the Bed and Breakfast either.

"Myka!"

Myka's brain slowly filtered in her name. She thought she might be underwater, as that's what it sounded like. But even through the bad sound, she was able to tell the voice was full of pain and fear.

She wanted to get up and help. If she had been a little more aware, she would have realized it was Claudia screaming, shrieking her name. But Myka couldn't move. Not even her little toe, let alone her legs or arms.

She was stuck.

Maybe alive, maybe not.

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Pete tore into town, tires squealing, breath coming out in short gasps. He was letting his vibe guide him. He knew it might be ridiculous, but ever since his hadn't trusted one of his vibes and his father died, he always trusted them.

_Except for the time Myka thought H.G. Wells should stay._

"I'm going to find you!" he choked out, slamming his palm onto the steering wheel."I don't care if Artie fires me, or if Mrs. Fredericks bronzes me. I _will _hurt you, if you've touched my friends."

He swerved into the left hand lane and turned sharply, not bothering to use his indicators. _This feels like the right way. _He ignored as the few people at an outside intersection of Univille honked at him.

"Screw them," he muttered to himself.

As his vibe suddenly intensified by tenfold, he quickly slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop outside of an old abandoned warehouse.

_How fitting._

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"Pete! Pete! I found it!" Artie yanked his glasses off his head before forgetting Pete had left in a tizzy.

Hopping off his chair, Artie threw on his coat and tried to gather all his papers into his bag, although it was only somewhat successful. "I know where they are!"

"I'm coming for you, Myka and Claudia!" he yelled, running as fast as a rotund man can out of the umbilicus. Stepping outside into the frigid air, he stopped suddenly, eye brows lifting like a maniac.

"I need to call Leena!" he cried, hastily making his way back into the Warehouse. "And Mrs. Fredericks! What about Mr. Kosan?" He halted his speech, but continued back into the Warehouse to find his Farnsworth.

Artie's face was red from the stress of it all by the time he had found his Farnsworth under a cup of coffee. "Wait, Pete!" He quickly flipped it open. "I need to tell Pete! He might be near them!"

But when Pete didn't answer, Artie sighed and slammed his farnsworth shut, a look of utter determination on his face. "Pete's right," he said firmly. "I can screw around with my technology all I want, or I can just go do something!"

With that he stalked off out of the Warehouse in search of his co-workers, flinging his Farnsworth on a nearby table as he went.

It landed on a now cold copy of _War and Peace._

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Claudia sobbed as Lindy came nearer and nearer to her, a sadistic smile on her face. "Cut it out, Lindy!" she begged. "Look at what you've done to Myka!" Her voice cracked slightly. "Don't you have all the photos you need?"

"Quiet, scum!" Lindy raised her hand, almost as if to slap Claudia. "She had amazing photos, but I want some from what you saw."

Claudia shrieked and whipped her head from side to side as Lindy tried to place her hand on Claudia's head. "Don't touch me!"

Lindy laughed lightly. "Sweetie, don't you worry. It'll only hurt a bit."

Claudia sobbed even harder as Lindy placed one hand on Claudia's head, the other on the camera, finger poised above the shutter.

"Lindy, wait!" Katherine screamed. "You can't do this! You don't _want _to do this!" She yanked at the rope that tied her to the chair. "Please!" she begged. "Stop this!"

Lindy's face hardened as she turned to face Katherine, not taking her hands off of Claudia or the camera. "You know what? I thought you'd want to be a part of this. For some reason, I thought you would care that I was making history, becoming a star." Her face turned sour. "But now, I see it. You're nothing more than insolent child who can't appreciate beauty." She paused. "I'm done with you."

"Wait!" Katherine cried.

But it was too late. Lindy grabbed the Tesla out of her pocket and aimed. A blue arc of electricity shot from the steampunk device and hit Katherine, making her shudder, but go quiet instantly.

"There we go," Lindy cooed. "That's better, isn't it?" Claudia shook her head, too afraid to say anything. "Well, fine then! Don't say anything!"

She put her hand back on Claudia's head. "Nighty night," she said, and clicked the shutter.


	11. Chapter 11

Pete cautiously entered the abandoned warehouse, tesla drawn and charged. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light, and he looked around. He had seen the black Sedan outside of the building, but right now, it was too dark to see much, nor could he hear anything.

"Hello?" he called out. "Mykes? Claudia? You there?" He received no reply, so he ventured in a little farther, walking around a shelf.

"Pete!"

Pete's head snapped up at his name. "Claudia?" he yelled, breaking into a run towards the voice. "Claudia, are you alright?"

She screamed, and it was so full of pain Pete nearly dropped his tesla. "Secret service!" he yelled. "Drop it!" He had no clue what this Lindy character had, maybe the camera, but to make Claudia scream like that, she obviously had something dangerous.

Following his instincts, he ran around a tall shelf into a cornered off area. As the scene before him unfolded, Pete sucked in deeply.

Myka, strapped to a chair, unconscious. Claudia, also tied to a chair, screaming as a woman, presumably Lindy, held her head and the camera. He also noticed a girl unconscious in a chair, and somewhere in his mind, he realized it was the young girl Lindy had kidnapped, but that wasn't his main concern at that moment.

"Myka!" he called, starting to run towards her. "Myka, oh gosh, Myka, can you hear me?" But when Claudia let loose another gut wrenching scream, Pete's objective changed. "Hey, Lindy!" he called out.

Lindy dropped her hand off of Claudia's head, and instantly Claudia stopped screaming. "What? You want to help too?"

"Uh, yeah, about that." Pete reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver static bag. "How about you give me that nice camera you have in your hand, and I'll only break one leg, okay?"

Lindy snickered. "Like I'd give you anything except this." She aimed her tesla at Pete and pulled the trigger, but Pete had quickly jumped behind a shelf, narrowly avoiding being telsaed.

"Alright, alright!" Pete stayed behind the shelf. "Lindy, lookie here. This camera isn't doing you any good." He stuck his head out from around the shelf and motioned to the young girl out cold in the chair. "That'…uh…Katherine, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, I heard you guys are pals." Pete slowly began to walk towards Lindy. "Look at her now, look what you've done to her." As Lindy's face began to fall slightly, Pete picked up his pace. "She's so young, and she probably trusted you a whole lot. Now do you think she will? I sure wouldn't."

Lindy swallowed. "B-but…"

"But," Pete said, reaching Lindy and holding out the static bag, "if you put the camera in here, that could change."

Lindy looked towards the ground. "Really? It would change?"

"Yeah, yeah it could."

"Could?" Lindy's eyes grew wide. "Not would, but could? Suck on this!" She swung at Pete and caught him off guard, landing a painful hook to his jaw.

Pete toppled to the floor. "Geez, Lady!" He snatched his tesla out of its holster. "Usually I play the good cop, and Myka plays the bad cop, but since you tried to kill her and all, I guess I'll have to do both." He aimed and pulled the trigger, sighing in relief as Lindy fell to the floor with a groan.

"Pete?"

"What? Who?" Pete jumped up off the floor, ignoring the throbbing in his jaw. "Claude, is that you?" He bounded over to her chair. "Thank God!"

Claudia blinked blearily at him. "Yeah, it's me. Want to untie me now? I can't feel my hands."

"Oh, right!" Pete made quick work of the knot, his normally clumsy fingers untying it quickly. "Better?"

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Claudia stood up, wobbling slightly. She stretched out, groaning as blood began to flow back to her extremities. "Hey, where's Myka? Is she okay? Last I saw, Lindy had knocked her out pretty bad."

Pete's jaw dropped. "Right, Myka!" He turned around and ran over to her. He swallowed hard as she didn't move. "Hey, Myka?" he asked softly. "It's Pete. Can you hear me?" She stirred slightly, but did not wake.

"So, I'll bag the artifact? Kay?" Claudia donned a pair of purple gloves and gingerly picked up the camera. "Bet you this'll have a huge flash," she mumbled, dropping the camera into the static bag. "Woah, yes, big flashes. My head is pounding more now, if that's even humanly possible."

Pete nodded. "So apparently this is some paparazzi's camera." He paused, not wanting to continue.

"The downside being?"

"Uh…possible brain damage."

Claudia scuffed the toe of her converse into the floor. "Ooh, that sucks."

Pete nodded. "No kidding." He pushed a stray strand of Myka's hair back. "Oh, please, no." He put his hand back on her head. "She's bleeding."

Claudia rushed over. "As in 'dead in two minutes if we don't stop it' kind of bleeding?" She pulled a mini flashlight out of her pocket. "Here."

Pete took it, shaking his head. "Naw, I don't think so," he said after inspecting the wound. "She must have hit her head on the door handle to the Warehouse after being teslaed." He paused. "Artie saw the blood and actually didn't pass out."

"Wow, really?" Claudia's eyes narrowed as she heard a groan. "Shoot, I forgot. There's this kid named Katherine here, too. Apparently Lindy kidnapped her."

Pete nodded, not taking his eyes off of Myka. "Yeah, I know. You go deal with her, okay? Then call Artie and tell him what's going on."

"Can do, Captain Kirk." Claudia strode over to Katherine, who was waking up from her tesla induced stupor. "Hey, Katherine?"

"Claudia?" Katherine blinked slowly. "What happened?"

Claudia smiled slightly. "Lindy shot you with the tesla." Seeing Katherine's concerned look, Claudia quickly continued. "Not a real gun, just kind of like a Taser that knocks you out." She held up her hands. "No bullets, I promise."

Katherine nodded. "Yeah, alright. I would guess since you're standing there, Lindy isn't being all crazy anymore," she said, "so would you mind untying me?"

Claudia nodded. "It would be my pleasure, just one quick sec." She looked over at Pete. "Just going to untie Katherine first, okay?"

"Okay!" Pete called back. "Myka's not waking up, so I'll call Artie." But as he was picking up his Farnsworth, the door to the abandoned warehouse creaked open, letting in a thin stream of light. Pete looked up, confused.

But then a shadowed figure moved into the doorway, blocking out almost all the light. It was only when the figure spoke did Pete freeze.

"Move even an inch, and I'll shoot."


	12. Chapter 12

Lindy's head throbbed. There was no question about it. She thought she might have hit it on something, and had some really weird dreams while unconscious.

But she forced herself to open her eyes, curiosity about what happened getting the better of her. When she did open her eyes, she gulped.

Was she still dreaming? Or did she actually kidnap and try to kill?

"Move even an inch, and I'll shoot."

Lindy's head snapped up, and against the painful protest and dizziness, she forced herself to focus. Was that a shadowy figure in the doorway?

"Okay, okay here. I've already dealt with the crazy lady who should possibly be locked up. Now who are you and what do _you _want?"

"Pete?"

"Artie?"

Lindy groaned as a bright flashlight penetrated the darkness, making her head swim. Pete looked at her, then back at Artie.

"Yeah, apparently crazy lady is awake," he commented, walking over to Artie. "But Myka? Not so much."

Artie frowned. "What? You didn't get here in time?" He looked around wildly. "Where is she?" When Pete motioned towards Myka, who was sagging against her bonds, Artie's breath hitched in his chest. "Call Vanessa!" he barked as he ran over to Myka.

Pete took out his Farnsworth. "On it."

"Hey, Myka?" Artie gently shook the younger agent. "Myka, can you hear me?"

Claudia hurried over to Artie, Katherine trailing behind. "Okay, what do we do?" she asked impatiently. "And since Pete can't even remember when his mother's birthday is, would you mind telling us what artifact this is?" She held up the static bag.

"This," Artie said, taking the static bag with a flourish, "is Ron Gallea's camera. He was considered to be the first ever paparazzi. He-" His eyes narrowed. "That kid is an outsider. Get her out of here."

Claudia frowned. "This is Katherine," she said with slight distaste at Artie's upfront way of speaking. "She's the girl Lindy kidnapped? Pete seemed to know about her, so I kind of assumed you would too."

"Yeah, yeah, Katherine Argo, lives in Melbourne with a tank full of hermit crabs."

Katherine's jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it again, pursing her lips. "Okay," she said finally. "That is a little creepy. How do you even know that?"

"Oh, we're the government," he said offhandedly. He quickly turned to Pete, who was walking towards the group. "So? What did she say?"

"She said she'd fly in as soon as possible," Pete said, somewhat dejectedly, "but we should get her to a hospital as soon as we can." He sighed. "Said she'd seen something like this before with another artifact, and it didn't turn out well."

Artie clenched his fists, almost dropping the static bag. "Fine. Someone call an ambulance, and destroy the evidence of what happened here. Make a cover story…" He trailed. "But not in that order."

Katherine held up her hand. "And I get home how? What about Lindy?" She motioned towards the woman on the ground, hair splayed around her like a halo. "Shouldn't she have woken up by now?"

Artie glared at Pete. "What level was your tesla set to?"

"Two, I promise!"

Lindy cracked open one eye. "I'm awake," she said softly. "I'm just trying to go back to sleep so then I might be able to convince myself this is a dream."

"This," Artie shook his hand around spastically, "is not a dream. You almost killed, or may have killed one of my agents." He paused and took some deep breaths, trying to calm down. "You should be happy I don't have you bronzed!"

Katherine frowned, but quietly slipped over to Lindy, crouching down beside her. "Are you okay?"

"Okay?" Lindy looked up at the dark ceiling. "Depends on your definition of okay."

Pete groaned. "Did a crazy lady put you in a coma you might never come out of, and if you do, you'll probably have brain damage?" He stopped, eyebrows dipping. "Oh wait, that's what you did to Myka."

"I'm sorry!" Lindy sat up. "I don't even know what I was thinking! I kidnapped Katherine, left my children at school, then almost killed this woman!"

Artie sighed and rubbed his face. "Classic post-artifact reaction," he mumbled. "Just do something with her and the kid, Claudia. Take them home or something."

"You want me to drive them 18 hours back into Canada?"

"Yes."

"While Myka might die?"

"Yes! Do you need hearing aids?"

"Geez, I'm going!" Claudia grabbed Lindy's arm and helped her up. "Okay, Lindy, I'm going to pretend that you're not in the car when I drive, otherwise I may have to kill you."

Katherine looked between Lindy and Claudia. "Please don't kill Lindy I like Lindy oh gosh don't kill her," she word vomited.

Artie glared at Katherine. "Would you get her out of here?" he said to Claudia. "I can't think with her around!"

"Alright, alright!" she shooed Katherine and Lindy towards the door. "But you call me if anything, and I mean _anything, _happens? You got that?"

Artie nodded. "Yes! Go!"

Pete sighed as he watched Claudia lead the women out of the abandoned warehouse. "What about Myka, Artie?" He bit his lip and rubbed Myka's arm gently. "What do we do if she never wakes up? What do we do if she _dies, _Artie? What do we do then?"

"She _won't _die," Artie said stubbornly. He quickly added, "She won't die as long as you pick her up and carry her out of here, that is."

Pete swallowed hard, but bent down and untied Myka's hands, being as careful as possible. When her hands and legs were free, he gently slid his arms beneath her legs and arms, picking her up like a baby.

"Please be okay," he whispered into her ear as they left the building, her brown hair tickling his nose, sunlight gleaming off both of them. "I don't think I could live without you."


	13. Chapter 13

It was the ringing in her ears that she was aware of first. It was all she could hear. Slowly, the rest of her senses came back, and she realized she was in an unfamiliar place.

"Myka?"

When Myka finally managed to open her eyes, she could see Pete, hovering over her, a hopeful smile on his face. "Pete?" she whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me!" Pete bent down and gave Myka a big hug. "Myka, I was so worried!"

Myka blinked slowly, slightly confused. "Pete, what-" She began to cough and couldn't continue her sentence. She motioned for the glass of water on the bedside table and drank greedily from it when Pete gave it to her.

When she had drained the cup, he placed it back on the white bedside table. "Better?"

Myka nodded. "Yeah." When Pete gave her a small smile, Myka felt her heart squeeze. "What happened back there?" She paused, looking around the hospital room with distaste. "Last I remember, there was…Lindy and the camera." Myka didn't want Pete to know the last thing she remembered was the pain.

"I found you guys," Pete said quietly. "I told Artie I would, and I found you."

Myka struggled to pull herself up into a sitting position, breathing heavily. It was only when Pete gently helped up by her shoulders did she catch her breath. "What about Claudia, and…uh…that other kid…Katherine?"

"Claudia drove Lindy and Katherine back to Melbourne," Pete explained, sitting down on the edge of Myka's bed. "Artie's back at the warehouse with her now, pretending he's not worried." Suddenly, Pete jumped up, startling Myka.

"What?" she yelped.

Pete ran towards the door. "I have to get Dr. Vanessa! She told me to get her if you woke up while she was in the cafeteria!" He sprinted out the door, sneakers squeaking on the shiny linoleum. "Be right back!"

"Okay!" Myka called out.

She settled back slightly onto her puffed up pillows and began to linearly go through the events of the previous-previous?-day. She still felt a little fuzzy, and some of her memories seemed to be just out of her grasp.

"Alright," Myka said to herself. "I heard a knock at the Warehouse door, and when I answered it, I was teslaed. I woke up in some abandoned building where I found Claudia, Katherine and Lindy." She paused for a second. "Then there was something about a camera…and then the pain."

"Myka?" Dr. Vanessa hurried into the room. "Myka, dear, I'm so glad to see you're awake!" She gave Myka a big smile. "We were all so worried about you!"

"Especially me." Pete raised his hand. "Me."

Myka gave Pete a smile. "Well, I was worried about Claudia." Her face fell. "She was okay, right?"

Pete bit his lip. "Yeah, Mykes, yeah. I told you, remember?"

"Oh. Yeah, I do."

Dr. Vanessa gave Myka an encouraging smile. "It's to be expected," she said as she noted down some things on Myka's chart. "Ron Gallea's camera packs quite a punch. As I suspected, it's taken a toll on your neurological functions."

"She'll be okay, right?" Pete's eyes grew wide. "I mean, Jinxy turned out to be a great guy and all, but I don't want to go through that whole process again."

"No, I think she'll hunting artifacts again very soon," Dr. Vanessa said with a smile. She placed her hand on Myka's arm. It was a very gentle gesture, and Myka felt calmed by it immediately. "Not too soon, of course." She laughed. "I'll call Artie and tell him you're awake, alright?"

"Go ahead," Myka said with a smile. "I'd bet he's had his Farnsworth with him this whole time!"

Dr. Vanessa smiled. "Well, three days is a long time to be out."

"Three days?" Myka frowned slightly. "Who filled out the paperwork after the artifact was bagged?" She paused. "You said it was Ron Gallea's camera? As in the first paparazzi?"

"Yes, and yes. Now if you'll excuse me…" Dr. Vanessa quietly slipped out the hospital room, leaving Pete and Myka alone.

Pete just stood there next to Myka, hand on her shoulder. He didn't say anything, not even his usual snarky comments about how short the gown was that Myka had on. In fact, he seemed oddly quiet, almost subdued.

"Pete? You okay?" Myka looked up at him, slightly confused. "You're touching me."

"What?" Pete looked down at her. "Oh. Yeah." But he didn't remove his hand, rather bit his lip, almost shyly. "I'm really glad you're okay, Myka."

"Don't go all soft on me!"

Pete grinned and leant down to hug Myka, almost cutting off her air. "No, Mykes, I'm just _really _glad you're okay. I don't think I could bear to lose you."

Myka blinked slowly, a smile forming. She hugged Pete back, trying not to tear up. "Me too, Pete."

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"Move over, Myka!"

"Hey, don't shove Myka!"

"She's taking up the whole couch!"

"Alright, alright!" Myka shifted over a cushion, taking her blanket with her. "Pete, stop being so protective! I won't break if you touch me!"

Claudia plopped down beside Myka. "It's true," she said, swiping a cookie from the tray Leena had just brought into the room. "That sounds all artifacty, and I really think Myka's had enough issues with artifacts to last her 'till the apocalypse."

"I don't care if Myka's tired, we have a ping." Artie bumbled into the room, carrying a thick, manila file. "A couple in Nagri, India were having-"

"Artie!" Pete glared at him. "Can't it wait?" He pointed to the TV. "It's dark out, Myka's barely home from the hospital, and we were going to watch a movie."

Artie frowned. "This is an artifact, possibly life threatening. Your job-"

"Leena made cookies," Claudia whispered, snatching up a cookie and waving it under Artie's nose.

Artie stopped mid-sentence. "But, well…" He trailed off. "I guess it could wait until morning." He grabbed a cookie. "But don't stay up too late!" he yelled as her ambled out of the room.

Claudia smiled at Myka. "Ready for the best movie ever?" She held up a DVD case.

"What is it? What is it?" Pete hopped onto the couch, nearly squashing Claudia, gaining a shriek from her. "Wait, Princess Bride? Dude, no way!"

"Alright," Myka said calmly. "We'll watch this down here with the fireplace and cookies, and you can go watch whatever you like up in your room."

Pete's eyebrows knitted together. "Aw man!" he complained. "You girls really know how to reel in a guy, even if there's a chick flick playing."

When the movie started, Myka wasn't paying attention to it. Usually she would become very engrossed in movies, but not tonight. Tonight, she had Claudia and Pete beside her, and a plate of cookies on her lap.

She was content.

No, make that happy. Very, very happy.

And she couldn't think of a better place to be.


End file.
